Brisbane residents get a rate rise, councillors get a pay rise

On the same day a majority of Brisbane residents were hit with an increase to their rates bill, the city’s councillors received a pay rise.

When lord mayor Graham Quirk handed down the 2018-19 budget on Wednesday it included an average rates rise of 2.5 per cent or $40 a year, although residents in seven suburbs face an increase of more than $100.

Just a few hours after the rates announcement all councillors received an email, that’s been sighted by Fairfax Media, telling them their pay would be increased by 2 per cent.

“This increase follows a decision by the Brisbane City Council Independent Remuneration Tribunal to apply a 2 per cent increase to councillors’ salaries, effective 1 July 2018, following their remuneration review,” the letter from council chief-executive Colin Jensen said.

“It’s a result of an independent tribunal, that tribunal decided that figure some time ago but the timing related to a CEO’s obligation to advise so it became a governance issue that was outside of the body of politics.”

Cr Quirk said it was true the pay rise was higher than Brisbane’s March quarter inflation rate of 1.7 per cent but said it needed to be understood that it was a seven-day-a-week job.

“Every weekend when I get around this city at events I see councillors out there all the time ... they are long days, every day,'' he said.

“But equally, if you’re going to attract people to public life, you need to pay at least a decent salary.”

Opposition leader Peter Cumming said while he too was hit with the rates rise he was on a good income and could afford it.

Photo: Supplied

On Wednesday, when Opposition leader Peter Cumming made his first comments about the budget, Fairfax Media asked him what the rates rise meant to him.

“We’re on good incomes, we can afford it,” he said.

On Thursday, Cr Cumming said he wasn’t aware of his pay rise when he made those comments and argued the chief-executive could have announced the pay rise at a more appropriate time.

Greens councillor Jonathan Sri, who will soon receive a salary of $160,938, said while the rates rise and pay rise might have been a coincidence, it was not a good look. “I think the timing is quite obviously a bad look and I think it will remind residents that right now in Brisbane the political class have a lot of advantages over ordinary residents and don’t necessarily understand or empathise with what ordinary residents are going through,” he said.

“It creates a problem when elected representatives become more out of touch over time, they forget what it’s like to be poor.”

Cr Sri said every week when his pay packet arrived, he transferred half of it to community groups in need.

“I’m probably lucky in that I don’t have any dependents and I’m in reasonably good health so I'm not saying that all councillors [should sacrifice their pay] - some people, they do need a bit more money,” he said.